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Councillor expresses concerns about city’s new GE foods policy
Driver ‘lucky’ after logging truck accident
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City councillor Martin Barker is decrying a recent decision by his colleagues to severely limit the city’s use of genetically engineered plants and food. Under the policy, passed by council last month on the recommendation of the Environment Committee, staff are not to purchase genetically engineered plants, trees or seeds for use in the city, and are to refrain from purchasing genetically engineered foods wherever possible. Caterers and food suppliers will be asked to fill out forms detailing their use of genetically engineered products. “I’m disappointed in the City of Duncan for choosing to promote the banning of GE foods,” Barker said. “It puts more pressure on staff when they are choosing products. And activist groups will hold up the Duncan situation as part of their argument against GE foods.” Barker was the lone councillor to vote against the policy. He advocates the development of GE foods, and pointed out that “no one [on council] is an expert on the issue.” Barker noted that he is likely the only member of council to have actually created a recombinant organism, which he did during a third-year microbiology class, and while that doesn’t make him an expert, he does feel he has an “educated insight” into genetically engineered foods. “Groups such as Health Canada and the World Health Organization, who do have highly trained professionals and have people’s best interests at heart do not ban GE foods,” he said. According to a brief from the Environment Committee to city council explaining
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Martin Barker is concerned that the new policy will put too much pressure on staff and allow activists to use the city as an example. [KEVIN ROTHBAUER/CITIZEN] the policy, it is based on the “precautionary principle,” which states that “when an activity raises threats of harm to human health or the environment, precautionary measures should be taken even if some cause and effect relationships are not fully established scientifically.” Mayor Phil Kent said that the policy has been in the works for a while.
“It has been discussed at the Environment Committee for some time, creating a policy to avoid use of GE foods for the city,” he said. Kent noted that the city has looked extensively into information about the issue. “There’s a lot of information out there,” he said. “We’ve heard presentations from both sides of the case.”
A logging truck driver is fortunate to be alive after he was pulled from the wreck of his vehicle west of Shawnigan Lake and airlifted to hospital on Tuesday afternoon. Hauling a loaded trailer, the truck left a logging road and careened down a hill, ending up in a creek. Bystanders were able to remove the driver from the wreck before emergency personnel reached the scene. “Boy, was that guy lucky,” Shawnigan Lake fire chief Keith Shields said. “It was unbelievable, the damage.” The incident happened around 2:30 p.m., about seven kilometres west of Shawnigan Lake off Renfrew Road. According to Sgt. Scott Stephen of the Shawnigan Lake RCMP, the likely cause was a mechanical failure. “A logging truck and loaded trailer were travelling east on the road down Kapoor Hill when an apparent loss of brakes resulted in the driver and lone occupant of the truck going off the road to the left,” Sgt. Scott Stephen related. “The vehicle crashed violently through dense forest before coming to a rest upside down in a small creek.” The 51-year-old driver was examined at the scene, then transported several kilometres before being airlifted to Victoria for further medical attention. Despite suffering several injuries, he was conscious and responsive, Stephen said. Shields learned more about the injuries on Wednesday morning. See ENVIRONMENTAL, Page 3
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